


Lapidot for Professionals

by DemyxDancer



Series: Professionals [10]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Contains Your Recommended Daily Allowance of Lapidot Cuddling, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Lapidot Week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23860549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemyxDancer/pseuds/DemyxDancer
Summary: Fluffy one-shots starring an excessively nerdy technician, her temperamental artist girlfriend, her supportive yet anxious lawyer friend, and the builder they all go to for advice.Now updated with October prompts!
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)
Series: Professionals [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573660
Comments: 154
Kudos: 157





	1. Mystery and Malaise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never done one of these prompt week things so why not start now, when I already have five other projects going?
> 
> These one-shots take place in the same universe as [Professionals](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21728824/chapters/51833323), but are self-contained.

Peridot shifted positions on the couch as she tried her hardest to not let the malaise set in. Lapis had been out for hours, all of her friends were busy, and her personal projects weren’t holding her interest. Those were perfectly good reasons for her to have spent the past three hours aimlessly fishing in Creature Junction. After all, that house wasn’t going to pay itself off.

She sighed, and the controller slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor. Nope, as much as she tried to deny it, that was definitely malaise.

Maybe she should head up to the greenhouse for a while? Some of her tomato plants needed transplanting. The thought of even moving off the couch filled her with a deep sense of ambivalence.

She was shaken out of her stupor by her phone suddenly buzzing.

 **Steven!:** Hey Peri, what’s up?

 **PERI5XG:** STEVEN. I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT I HAVE FOUND MYSELF IN THE THROES OF AN INESCAPABLE MALAISE

 **PERI5XG:** PLEASE TELL ME YOU AREN’T BUSY SO I HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK TO OTHER THAN THE ADORABLE YELLOW DOG IN CREATURE JUNCTION

 **Steven!:** I’m sorry, Peri, but I am pretty busy :(

 **Steven!:** The good news is I have something else to tell you!

 **Steven!:** A mysterious gem has asked me to pass a message to you!

 **PERI5XG:** A MYSTERY?!

 **Steven!:** Yeah!

 **Steven!:** She says, “Next to the swords, you’ll find something to shield you.”

 **Steven!:** Better go check it out ;)

 **PERI5XG:** THIS IS JUST LAPIS, RIGHT? THE MYSTERIOUS GEM IS LAPIS.

 **Steven!:** Who’s Lapis?

 **PERI5XG:** REALLY STEVEN

 **PERI5XG:** REALLY

 **Steven!:** Haha I don’t know!

 **PERI5XG:** WELL I HAD BETTER GO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY GIVEN TO ME BY A GEM WHO IS NOT BLUE AND CAN’T CONTROL WATER

 **Steven!:** Yeah, you’d better!

Peridot had no idea where Lapis -- because obviously -- was going with this, but she was so pleased to have something even mildly interesting to do that she certainly wasn’t complaining.

The clue told her to look next to the swords, so that probably meant Bismuth’s forge. When she entered, she was greeted by ear-splitting ringing noises, as Bismuth was working hard pounding an enormous, heated piece of metal into a curved shape. “Hey, Peri! Sorry I can’t talk right this second, I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“That’s okay, Bis, this should only take a second.” Peridot headed to the back, where Bismuth kept a barrel of assorted swords for sparring practice and for demonstrating how to make weapons. Sure enough, there was an umbrella leaning up against the barrel. It was bright green with yellow stars, making its purpose unmistakable.

“Oh yeah,” said Bismuth. “You left your umbrella here.”

“This isn’t my umbrella.”

“You sure? ‘Cause it sure looks like you.”

“Cute, Bis, very cute.” Peridot picked up the umbrella and headed out of the forge. It wasn’t raining, but the umbrella was actually nice for shielding her against the hot summer sun. She was not surprised to get another text as soon as she had left.

 **Steven!:** Hey Peri! Got another message for you!

 **PERI5XG:** OF COURSE YOU DO

 **Steven!:** It says, “You’ll need some protection from the Stormy weather.”

Peridot squinted at the message. Stormy weather…? And why was it capitalized like that…?

Oh, right, Zircon’s _cat_ was named Stormy.

 **PERI5XG:** TELL LAPIS I GET IT

 **Steven!:** I’ve never heard of a Lapis!

Peridot rolled her eyes and put her phone away, walking towards the office tower. A few minutes later, she was knocking on Zircon’s door.

“Come in!”

Zircon had her feet up on her desk and was reading intently from one of her holographic screens. She seemed surprisingly at ease, given that she had assured Peridot earlier that she was absolutely swamped in urgent work and couldn’t possibly spend time together. In what Peridot assumed was a bit of thematic coherence, her soothing rain noise machine was set to thunderstorm mode.

It didn’t take Peridot long to spot a bright yellow raincoat, folded neatly and sitting in Stormy’s cat bed. Stormy, naturally, was not in her bed, instead snoozing in a sunbeam on the floor. Underneath the raincoat was a matching rain hat and shiny red galoshes. 

“There’s a lint roller in the drawer next to you if you need one,” said Zircon.

“I’m guessing I’m supposed to put these on, then?”

“Are you normally in the habit of putting on random clothes you find in cat beds?”

Peridot narrowed her eyes. “Are you seriously going to pretend this wasn’t all set up by Lapis?”

“That depends,” said Zircon, an insufferably smug smile on her face. “Are you going to let your girlfriend do something nice for you, or are you determined to be a pain in the gem about it?”

“Nyaaaaah,” Peridot groaned, pulling out the lint roller and cleaning the cat hairs off of the rain gear before putting it all on. “There. How do I look?”

Zircon stifled a laugh. “Like a very irritable duck.”

Peridot slumped over, her new raincoat making squeaky noises as she did. “Fine, I did the thing. Text Steven and tell him.”

“If, hypothetically, I were going to do so, I would most certainly wait until you had left.”

“Fine.” Peridot stopped to give Stormy a few scritches on the chin before leaving the office.

 **PERI5XG:** HEY STEVEN WHAT NOW

 **Steven!:** I’m not sure, I haven’t heard from the mysterious Gem!

 **Steven!:** Oh, wait, I think I’m getting something! 

**Steven!:** She’s transmitting a message through my teeth fillings! I’m going to have to start wearing a tinfoil hat!

 **PERI5XG:** WHAT ARE TEETH FILLINGS?!

 **Steven!:** The message says, “If the items you’re wearing painted a picture for you, come to a place where you can do just that.”

 **PERI5XG:** TELL LAPIS THAT ONE IS NOT VERY HARD

 **Steven!:** Have I met this Lapis?

 **PERI5XG:** YOU’RE RIDICULOUS

 **PERI5XG:** SHE’S RIDICULOUS

 **PERI5XG:** BIS AND ZIRCS ARE ALSO RIDICULOUS

 **Steven!:** Yup! :D

Peridot walked out of Little Homeworld into the nearby woods, using her ferrokinesis to hover the umbrella in exactly the right place to shade herself from the sun. She felt a bit silly wearing a full set of rain gear on a bright, sunny day, but Lapis must have some reason behind it. 

When she reached Lapis’ morps studio, there was a wooden sign out front. Painted on it was a very simplistic portrayal of herself in a raincoat and a blue arrow pointing to the right. She looked in the direction of the arrow, and saw another sign pointing into a clump of thick trees and foliage.

She pushed through the tall grass and tree branches and emerged in a peaceful clearing where the trees blotted out most of the sun. There were dozens of multi-colored umbrellas hanging upside down in the trees, scattered across the ground, and floating in a couple of small ponds. Cheerful, rainbow-colored lanterns strung on ropes provided light. 

Peridot grinned. “This is beautiful, Lapis,” she said, assuming her girlfriend was somewhere close by. There was no response apart from the wind ruffling the leaves. “C’mon, Lapis, I know you’re there.”

She spotted something moving in the trees. It was one of the Robonoids Peridot had made for Lapis, one outfitted with a camera to help her with her photography and filmmaking projects. Before that could fully register, she was drenched in a sudden downpour. Her yelp of surprise turned into laughter. “Lapis, what are you doing?!”

She was swept off her feet by a sudden stream of water and deposited into one of the ponds. “Lapis! Hey!” A moment later, she was shooting upwards into the air on top of a column of water. Nearby, several more columns of water launched umbrellas into the air at the same time. The water column turned into a twisting slide, Peridot shouting happily as she bounced up and down on the ripples and splashed into a pond. Before she could pick herself up, she was rising again, this time encased in a bubble. Small fish swam by her field of vision as she floated, her umbrella and hat long gone. 

The bubble suddenly popped, and Peridot was caught in Lapis’ arms. “Lapis!” she said, snuggling her girlfriend. “What was this all about?”

“It’s a performance morp, starring you!” said Lapis. “I wanted to capture surprise and joy. What do you think?”

“I think it’s brilliant, Lapis. I loved it. I love you.” Peridot pulled off her visor -- which she couldn’t see through anyway, due to the heavy rain -- and pulled Lapis in for a kiss, one which was eagerly returned.

“What was with all of the clues and the scavenger hunt, though?” 

“Anticipation is a critical element of performance morp, Peri.”

“And how’d you get everyone else on board?”

“I don’t know if you noticed this, but all of our friends are hopeless saps for romance.”

“Oh. Yeah, that is true.” She looked up at Lapis, a fake serious expression on her face. “I don’t know how to break this to you, but it’s possible that I’m a hopeless sap for romance too. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” she said, smiling and holding Peridot close.


	2. Yarn Singularity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was "sweater weather" and I'm pretty confident no one else will interpret the prompt this way.
> 
> Sodalite is from [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22993861/chapters/55601197)

**PERI5XG:** LAPIS

**PERI5XG:** LAPIS LAPIS LAPIS LAPIS LAPIS

**PERI5XG:** I NEED HELP

**PERI5XG:** IT’S AN EMERGENCY

**bob:** a real emergency or a peridot emergency

**PERI5XG:** KIND OF BOTH

**PERI5XG:** WE’RE TRAPPED IN THE LAIR

**PERI5XG:** HOW FAST CAN YOU GET HERE

**bob:** pretty fast, i’m just in the morp studio

**bob:** but why are you trapped in the lair

**bob:** and who’s “we”

**PERI5XG:** GREAT

**PERI5XG:** YOU SHOULD BRING SOMETHING SHARP

**PERI5XG:** MAYBE GET A SWORD FROM BIS’ FORGE

**bob:** i have a lot of questions

**PERI5XG:** YOU’LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS WHILE YOU’RE CUTTING US FREE FROM THE YARN

**bob:** a looooooot of questions

* * *

Lapis, holding a freshly forged, extremely sharp sword that Bismuth had let her borrow in exchange for telling her the whole story later, opened the door to the lair where she lived with Peridot. She was nearly swept off her feet by the tidal wave of yarn that spilled out. The yarn was so thick and tangled that she couldn’t even see more than a foot into her home. 

“Peri? Are you in there?”

“Lapis!” Peridot’s voice was very muffled, but still audible. “You came! Did you bring a sword?”

“Yes, but… _what in the stars?!”_

“Did you not explain what was happening?” said a second muffled voice from inside the yarn.

“Zircs? Why are _you_ there?”

There was a deep sigh, and then: “Poor decision-making.”

Lapis began cutting through the yarn with the sword, quickly realizing it wasn’t the best choice of tool. “Well, you guys have a lot of time to explain while I’m cutting you free. First off, why yarn?”

* * *

Sodalite clasped their hands together in satisfaction. The knitting machine had come together quickly and easily, conforming to all the specifications laid out in their plans. They had no doubt that it was going to work well.

This was partially because they couldn’t afford to entertain much doubt, as a general rule. Their components were anxious enough that entertaining too much rumination would cause an immediate failure of existence. That was why it was important to be thorough, precise, and most of all, _confident._

They turned on the machine.

A few minutes later, a beautiful, jewel-toned blue scarf popped out.

Sodalite was intensely relieved that the machine worked and did not explode, _not that they had any doubt._ Still, the scarf was not perfect. There were some flawed stitches towards the bottom, and that simply would not do.

They turned on the machine again, hoping to reproduce the flaw. After all, you can’t diagnose a problem without being able to consistently reproduce it. 

Of course, the second scarf was flawed in an entirely different way.

There was only one reasonable thing to do: set the machine to produce a statistically significant amount of scarves so that the problem could be pinned down scientifically.

* * *

“So after the first two hundred scarves or so, the machine jammed and just started spitting out infinite yarn tangles. That’s when we panicked and unfused.”

“Why didn’t you just stop the machine?” asked Lapis.

“That’s the problem,” Peridot explained. “Sodalite was the one who designed the machine. When we unfused, neither of us understood how it worked any more.”

“Why didn’t we just put an emergency stop in the machine? That’s what I don’t understand,” said Zircon.

“Why are you asking _me?_ We were _fused._ You were _there.”_

“Yes, but _you’re_ the engineer!”

“Why were you fused in the first place?” Lapis shook out her wrists. She had only progressed a few feet into the lair. “You both know Sodalite can be kind of… a lot.”

“Well…” Peridot started.

* * *

“Hey, Zircs, are you busy?”

Zircon looked at Peridot through her many holographic screens covered with work. “Yes, but I fear I’m not busy enough to stave off whatever plan you obviously have in mind.”

“You learned how to knit, right?” Peridot was bouncing with excitement.

“Yes…?”

“Great! We need to fuse!”

“Excuse me?!” Zircon collapsed down her screens in surprise. “Why?”

“Because I need to build a knitting machine to make matching scarves for me and Lapis!”

Zircon pinched the bridge of her nose. “I could just teach you how to knit, you know.”

“That would take _forever,”_ said Peridot, exasperated. “If we fused, I’d know how to knit right away!”

“Fusion is not a substitute for properly learning skills!”

Peridot blinked. “It kind of is, though?”

“Regardless, we both know that Sodalite is, well…” Zircon fiddled with one of the pens on her desk. “They’re the combination of two basketcases, and therefore a multiplicative basketcase.”

Peridot narrowed her eyes. “Yeah. What’s your point?”

“Fusing and building a knitting machine is extremely likely to end in disaster.”

“It’s a knitting machine, Zircs. How much disaster could it possibly cause?”

“...do you really want me to expand on that point?”

“C’mon, it’s for Lapis. And it’ll be fun! I know you secretly enjoy building things.”

“No.”

“We can also use it to make cute cat toys for Stormy!”

_“No.”_

“Think of how cute she’d be in a little cat scarf!”

“I…” Zircon faltered.

“See? This is a great idea!”

* * *

Lapis paused in trying to cut through the yarn. “Zircs, every time I start to think you’re the responsible one, you end up being bribed by cat scarves.”

“I’ve only been bribed by cat scarves this one time!” Zircon protested, still very muffled by yarn. “...I do see your point, though.”

“I guess I get why you were fused, but I still don’t know why you wanted to build a knitting machine, Peri.”

* * *

“Check it out! It’s sweater weather!”

Peridot skipped into the lair, where Lapis was curled up in the hammock, reading. She was wearing one of Steven’s sweaters, a dark blue one with yellow stars across the front.

“What’s sweater weather?”

“I don’t know, it’s something Steven told me. So I took one of his old sweaters. I don’t think he’ll mind. What do you think?” Peridot spread her arms out wide.

“Hm, I don’t like it,” said Lapis.

“What? Why not?”

“Because it makes you too snuggly,” said Lapis, grabbing Peridot and hugging her.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” said Peridot, laughing. “You should be wearing a sweater too!”

“You know I don’t really do clothes that cover my gem, Peri.”

“Well… how about a scarf? We should have matching scarves! For the sweater weather!”

Lapis smiled. “Hmm… maybe.”

* * *

“So you see, this is at least a little bit your fault,” said Peridot.

“Really? Is that what you’re going with?” Lapis put down the sword. She could almost see a hint of bright green through the tangle of yarn. “You know, Peri, I could just leave you here forever.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“People would ask, ‘What happened to your girlfriend?’ and I’d say, ‘Oh, Peridot? She went on an expedition to a remote colony and was never heard from again.’”

“Lapis, how could you?!”

“Could you at least finish cutting _me_ free?” asked Zircon. “I am in no way claiming this is your fault.”

“Zircs, you’d abandon me?!”

“I don’t want to die here!”

“We’re not going to _die._ It’s _yarn._ ”

“I have work I should be doing!”

“You’re not going to die from not getting your work done!”

_“You don’t know that, Peridot!”_

“I could just leave you _both_ here, you know!” said Lapis, dropping the sword.

There was a moment of silence.

“In my defense,” said Peridot, “there are actually a lot of cute scarves for you somewhere in here!”

“All of which have uniquely flawed stitches,” added Zircon.

“Zircs, _stop talking._ That’s exactly what got us into trouble with the machine.”

“Need I remind you that both the machine and the fusion were _your_ idea?”

Lapis tuned out the din of squabbling as she worked her way through the increasingly thick yarn tangle. She had long ago accepted that loving Peridot sometimes meant saving her from self-inflicted disasters. At least she had post-self-inflicted-disaster cuddling in the hammock to look forward to.


	3. This Chapter Is Just Plain Ol' Lapis Comforting Peridot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt: good night.
> 
> Have I written about Lapis snuggling Peridot to comfort her before? Yes. Am I tired of it? No.

Lapis stared for a moment at the unsightly streak of black paint before throwing her brush down. “Peridot!” she called out in frustration. “You _can’t_ make sudden noises like that when I’m painting! Now look at it!”

Peridot didn’t respond. Lapis turned around to see her girlfriend slumped over her workbench, sobbing quietly. “Peridot?” she said, her painting forgotten. “What happened?”

“It didn’t work.” Her voice was almost haunted. “It didn’t work -- my latest test. None of them worked. None of them even came close. I don’t know what I did wrong -- it should have worked -- it should have --”

Lapis walked up to Peridot. There were a wide range of multicolored samples in petri dishes in front of her, some of them scattered when Peridot had pounded the desk in anger. “I’m sure you’re going to figure it out,” said Lapis, carefully. “Why don’t you just take a break and --”

“You don’t _know_ that I’m going to figure it out!” Peridot yelled. “You don’t know _anything_ about this, so don’t pretend that you do!” Before Lapis could respond, she crumpled in misery, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you, I’m sorry --”

“Peri,” said Lapis, wrapping her arms around her. “Tell me what’s wrong, even if I don’t understand. Just talk to me.”

“You know my renewable kindergarten project…”

Lapis nodded. Peridot had been working -- really, overworking -- herself on this project for weeks. It was a way for Gems to reproduce without draining a planet of its resources, and its success was vital for continuing the advancement of Gems without requiring constant conquest. Its success was arguably necessary in order for Era 3 to be sustainable.

“I’ve been testing several formulas for the new bio-injectors. None of them were even close to the right parameters. I don’t understand. Maybe the entire theory behind them is flawed, in which case, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

Lapis knew better than to try to offer an empty platitude like “you’ll figure it out” this time, instead opting for honesty. “I don’t know,” she said. “I _do_ know that you don’t have to have all of this working today, though. You’ve been working on this almost non-stop recently. You need a rest.”

“I can’t. I can’t. I have to get this done,” she said, tearfully.

“Not right this minute, though --”

“Yes, right this minute!” She clutched Lapis tighter. “Did you hear about the protests in the Facet-9Z kindergarten?”

“No.”

“It’s one of the last operating kindergartens. It was allowed to continue operation since the damage to the planet was already deemed irreversible, but it’s almost finished. There was a protest there just a few cycles ago. The demands are that we can’t shut down kindergartening until we have a new method of producing Gems, or Gem society will stagnate and die.”

“Oh,” said Lapis, looking away. “But that’s just a few protesting Gems, the Diamonds aren’t gonna just change course --”

“You don’t _get it,_ Lapis. They’re _right._ If we don’t have a way to produce more Gems, then we’re all doomed. The Diamonds are okay with things now, but how’s it going to be hundreds or thousands of years from now when there haven’t been new Gems in forever? Don’t you think they’ll be tempted to open up just one or two kindergartens? We can’t let that happen, Lapis.”

“I get what you’re saying, but that’s hundreds of years away. No one, not even the Diamonds, are demanding you have results for them immediately.”

Tears ran down Peridot’s cheeks. “What if I can’t _ever_ do it, Lapis? What if I go down in Gem history as the Peridot who failed everyone? What if everything gets taken away from us because of me?”

Lapis gently pulled off Peridot’s visor and set it aside, wiping away her tears. “What if you go down in Gem history as the Peridot who tried really hard to help everyone?”

“That’s not good enough.” Peridot looked down.

Lapis pulled Peridot tight against her chest, rocking them both back and forth gently. “I really, really think you need a break.”

“I have to fix this, Lapis,” she said, exhaustion heavy in her voice.

“You’ll have time to fix it later. Just come snuggle with me. Please?”

“Okay. You win,” said Peridot, her form relaxing as she finally acquiesced.

Lapis picked up Peridot in her arms and lifted her into the hammock. She grabbed a stuffed raindrop from the foot of the hammock, handing it to Peridot to clutch. Lapis then climbed into the hammock herself, pulling Peridot’s back against her chest and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. With one of her water wings, she grabbed a blanket and pulled it up over them both. 

Between Lapis, the stuffed toy, and the blanket, Peridot was cuddled on all sides. “How’s that? Comfy?” 

“Yes,” said Peridot, but her voice still had an edge to it.

This called for some heavy-duty comfort. Lapis ran her hands through Peridot’s hair, rubbing gently at her scalp.

“Ohhhh…” said Peridot. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Shhhh. It’s going to be okay, Peri.”

“No, it isn’t,” she said, though her voice lacked the bite it had before. “None of the stuff I said is going to magically change just because you get me to take a break, you know.”

“I know that,” said Lapis, as she continued to massage Peridot’s head. “I’m not saying things are going to be okay forever, because who knows that? I’m saying things can be okay right now. It’s something Steven told me, that he heard from his therapist. Sometimes there’s too much to deal with, and you just have to focus on things being okay right now.”

“I guess,” said Peridot. “Does that actually help?”

“Sometimes. It’s like you said. It’s not like stuff like that actually fixes everything.” She snuggled her face against Peridot’s hair. “Maybe I just wish you wouldn’t feel so responsible for everything. It’s really not gonna be your fault if Gem society collapses, you know.”

“I have a responsibility, Lapis. They’re counting on me.”

“They’re counting on you to _try,_ not to solve all the problems immediately. No one thinks that. No one who matters, anyway. And if they do, I’ll kick their butts.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I help?”

“Of course! You think I’m going to go beat up some Homeworld clods without you?”

“Hey, that’s my word!” Peridot laughed. “I guess…” she said slowly, “I guess maybe things can be okay. For right now.”

 _Finally,_ thought Lapis, as she felt Peridot’s tension starting to ease. She responded by pulling her girlfriend closer and rubbing her fingers in slow circles on her forehead. “How’s that?”

“Mmm, amazing,” Peridot’s voice was taking on a dreamy quality. “Like I have the galaxy’s best Lapis Lazuli taking care of me.”

“That’s right, you do,” said Lapis, tracing a finger around the edges of her gemstone.

“Oh, that’s distracting.”

“Good. You shouldn’t be thinking about anything else but this.”

“Did I ever tell you how great you are?” Peridot was smiling, allowing the gentle touching on her gemstone to lull her into relaxed bliss.

“Yes, but you can tell me again. Later. Right now, less talking, more letting me take care of you.”

“Mmhmm,” Peridot agreed. “I love you, Lapis.”

“I love you too, Peridot,” she said, planting a kiss on her forehead.


	4. Trying to Steven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was "drawing each other."

“Hi, Steven!” Lapis touched down in front of the barn and gave Steven a huge smile.

“Lapis!” Steven jumped up and immediately went for a hug.

Peridot waved cheerfully, trying to emulate Steven’s enthusiasm, quietly wishing that Lapis would favor her with a smile too. “Hi, Lazuli!” 

“Peridot.” Lapis gave her a stoic nod.

It was the best she could hope for, really. After all, she had participated in interrogating Lapis and dragging her back to Earth against her will. It had been under orders, and she would have been punished if she hadn’t complied, but she knew very well that was a weak excuse -- she hadn’t even given a thought to not complying, at the time. Why would a Peridot risk her neck for a Gem that had once been convicted of treason?

“What are you up to?” Lapis asked Steven.

“We’re drawing!” He gestured to the mess of paper, pencils and markers surrounding him and Peridot. “Look, I drew you!” 

Lapis laughed. “This is great, Steven! I love it!”

“And I drew Peridot, and the barn, and the Crystal Gems, and my Dad…” Steven handed Lapis drawing after drawing.

“I --” Peridot’s sudden interruption caused them both to look up. “I also drew you, Lazuli.”

Lapis took the offered drawing and glanced it over. In the drawing, she was smiling the way she did when she saw Steven. It was the way Peridot wished she would look at her, if that weren’t a completely ridiculous thing for her to wish. 

“That’s pretty good,” said Lapis in a neutral tone.

It was the best she could hope for. At least she wasn’t demanding Peridot leave.

“Why don’t you draw a picture, Lapis?” Steven gently pushed paper and pencils into her hands.

“I don’t know, Steven. What would I draw?”

“Anything! You could draw us! You could draw a landscape, or stuff you remember… or… maybe not stuff you remember,” he added hastily, noticing Lapis’ expression. “Something that makes you happy!”

Lapis looked down at the blank sheet of paper for a moment, before handing it back to Steven. “Not right now. Maybe some other time.”

Peridot watched as Lapis flew to the roof of the barn, where she sat looking out at the rolling fields.

“Peridot?” asked Steven. “Are you and Lapis… doing okay?”

“We’re fine!” said Peridot, putting on a fake show of cheer. “She just needs time to adjust. It’s… it’s the best I could hope for.”

“Hmm. I don’t think that’s true.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… you’re a good friend. Lapis just needs to get to know you better, and she’ll see that too.”

“ _Am_ I a good friend?” Peridot wondered. “I don’t even really know what that means, Steven.”

“Well, do you care about Lapis?”

“Yes, but…” _But I don’t know why._

“That’s the most important part!”

“I… guess.” Peridot looked at her drawing of Lapis smiling.

* * *

“Lazuli? Got a minute?”

Steven had left a while ago, and it had taken Peridot upwards of an hour to get the courage to climb to the roof of the barn and talk to Lapis.

“Mmm. Sure.” Lapis barely looked her way, instead keeping her gaze trained on a distant spot on the horizon.

“Is there anything I can…” The words caught in her throat. Stars, this was hard. “Is there anything I can do? To help. With anything. Is there?”

“No,” came the clipped reply.

Peridot deflated. This was about how she had expected it to go, and yet she was still disappointed. “Are you sure?” she tried again.

“If this is about you feeling guilty over what happened back on Homeworld, don’t. I know you were under orders. I know you feel sorry. It doesn’t matter anymore. I forgive you,” she said, in a tone that suggested she really didn’t forgive Peridot. 

“It’s not about that!” said Peridot.

“Then what _is_ this about? Why do you want to help?”

“I don’t know!” Peridot threw her hands up in exasperation. “I really, really don’t know. I just feel like I want to help you and I don’t know why. Do I really need a reason?”

This actually got Lapis’ attention. “Really?”

“I think…” Peridot jammed her fingers into her hair, trying to make sense of her thoughts. “I think I want to be more like Steven. He’s been so nice to me this entire time, even when I was trying to kill him. He always knows what to say to make me feel better. I guess that’s why you like him so much. I want to be like that too.” She curled into a ball of frustration. “Ugh, that’s so stupid, I sound like such a clod. Forget it, Lazuli. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

She turned to leave the roof, but was stopped.

“Wait.”

Peridot turned around, anticipating the worst. Perhaps an admonishment pointing out how ridiculous it was that she wanted to emulate Steven.

“You’re really serious about that, aren’t you?”

“I… guess.” Peridot’s voice was choked.

“I get it.” She looked around, anywhere but directly at Peridot. “Maybe… sometime… we could talk about things. Not right now. But sometime.”

“Really?” Peridot could feel a dangerous amount of hope bubbling inside of her.

“Yeah. I mean, you were kind of right, what you said before. We’re both going through some… stuff. We should talk. Some other time.”

“Some other time,” Peridot repeated.

Lapis smiled, and Peridot’s entire world flipped upside down.

“Uh… uh…” She was painfully aware of how ridiculous she must look as she attempted to extricate herself out from under the sudden avalanche of feelings. “I… have to go… fix a thing…” She scampered off the barn roof before Lapis could say anything else.

* * *

Peridot had spent most of the night trying to construct a prototype drone out of the spare parts in the barn. If she and Lapis were going to live here long term, which certainly seemed likely, they were going to need some security, and what better way to secure the barn than a miniature fleet of attack drones?

At the moment, however, her eyes were burning from too much delicate work. She desperately needed a break. She flipped up her goggles and began to pace around the barn, nearly slipping on the pile of papers she and Steven had left behind the previous day.

There was a new paper on top of the pile. She was certain that it hadn’t been there before, and its style was completely different from hers or Steven’s.

It was a picture of Peridot, smiling.


	5. Bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was "confessions / surprises."

“Hey, Peri!” Lapis waved cheerfully from the couch where she had been curled up, sketching. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” said Peridot glumly, before catching herself. “I mean, yes! Of course I’m alright!”

Lapis furrowed her brows. “Peri. What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing! I mean, it’s silly. Don’t worry about it. Wanna watch some CPH?”

“Not until you talk to me!” Lapis put down her sketchbook and patted the seat next to her on the couch. “I don’t care if it’s silly.”

“Fine,” Peridot sat down in a huff. “So I just went to Zircs’ office to feed her cat, ‘cause she’s on Homeworld the next couple of days, and… I don’t know. I told you it was silly.”

“Oh. You miss Pumpkin.”

“How’d you know?” said Peridot, surprised.

“You were taking care of a pet. It’s not really hard to figure out, Peri.” Lapis put an arm around her. “I miss her too, you know. You don’t have to feel silly.”

Peridot nodded and wrapped her hands around Lapis’ waist. “I guess I’m not sure why this is happening right now. It’s been a couple years. I’ve taken care of pets before. Why today?”

Lapis shrugged. “Sometimes it’s just like that, I guess.” She looked off, clearly thinking. “I mean, it _has_ been a couple of years. Maybe we could… you know… get Steven to make us a new Pumpkin?”

“It wouldn’t be the same!”

“I know, but maybe we’d love the new one anyway?”

“Mmm.” Peridot was clearly unsatisfied with this answer, clutching Lapis tighter.

“We could get a different pet, then. We could get a cat. I’m sure Zircs would be happy to do her whole ‘taking care of a cat’ presentation thing.”

“I thought about it,” Peridot admitted. “But I don’t know. I think the cat hair would get everywhere in here. Maybe one of those hairless cats?”

“Huh.” Lapis practically had a visible light bulb above her head.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Peridot let go of Lapis and turned around so that she was half flopped over into her girlfriend’s lap. “Forget it. I’m probably too busy to take care of a pet, anyway. I don’t need one. Besides, I have you!”

Lapis playfully flicked Peridot’s nose. “I’m not a pet!”

“No, but you are good to cuddle!” Peridot grinned, looking up at Lapis’ smiling face.

“Is that a request?”

Peridot nodded vigorously.

* * *

The next day, Peridot trudged home to the lair under the greenhouse, feeling just as melancholy as the day before. She still couldn’t understand why. She was happy with things the way they were. She didn’t need some organic to take care of, and take on walks around Little Homeworld, and greet when she arrived home, and snuggle up with for naps…

There was a note on the greenhouse door. “Peri -- I hid a present for you <3 Love,” and then a little drawing of Lapis.

Peridot’s melancholy faded as a warm smile crept across her face. Lapis cheered her up like this sometimes -- taking the warp pad to a distant planet and bringing her back some unique flora for her greenhouse. She entered the greenhouse eagerly, looking around for something new.

She quickly scanned the tables and shelves filled with greenery, but nothing stuck out to her as new or out of place. Maybe it was something small, or subtle? Maybe not a plant at all?

That’s when she heard the rustling in the hyacinth bushes. She walked over as quietly as possible, pushing the leaves aside to reveal a smallish blue flower bulb that appeared to be shaking.

“Are you…?” Peridot reached for it, petting it gently. After a few seconds it stopped shaking and opened its little eyes, gazing up at Peridot. “Oh! You’re a little plant creature!” Peridot’s eyes filled with stars. “That’s…. so…. cute….!”

The bulb made a cooing sound as Peridot picked it up to look at it. “You must be my present, right?” It cooed again, and then opened up its top to reveal a beautiful flower. “Fascinating!” said Peridot, entranced. “I’ve never seen plant _or_ animal life behave like this!”

“So do you like it?” 

Peridot jumped a bit when she realized Lapis was standing just behind her. “Lapis! Have you been here the entire time?”

“Of course! I couldn’t miss your reaction.”

“Well, I love it!” The flower bulb chirped happily as it settled into Peridot’s arms. “It’s both a pet _and_ a botanical research project!”

“Oh, good,” she said, relieved. “I was a little worried you actually meant it when you said you didn’t need a pet.”

“I did mean it, but… I guess you know me better than that.” Peridot grinned at Lapis before carefully setting the flower bulb down and enthusiastically kissing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [BlackAzurite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackAzurite) for this idea!


	6. Quality Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was "married / kids." But it didn't say _whose_ kids.

“Ah, finally.” Peridot wiped sweat off her forehead with a nearby rag. “I thought I’d never finish these samples.”

“So you’re done?” Lapis was in the corner of the lair, carving out some abstract thing out of an enormous piece of driftwood.

“I’m done with these, anyway. They need to incubate for a few days.” She looked around her workbench. “I guess I could get started on those improvements I wanted to make to the bio-injector’s fine mo --”

Peridot’s train of thought was stopped in its tracks by two blue arms hitting the table on each side of her. 

“Don’t you think we’ve both been a little too busy, Peri?” Lapis leaned in close to her face. “Don’t you think we could use a little time to ourselves?”

Her cheeks flushed blue. She smiled, but didn’t turn around. “What did you have in mind?”

Lapis’ voice was low. “I think it’s a good time to…” She suddenly grabbed Peridot with both arms, pulling her away from her work. “...capture the notorious Peridot of the Crystal Gems!”

Peridot laughed joyously. “Oh no, you caught me!” she said, squirming in Lapis’ grasp. “But you’ll never make me talk!”

“Oh, I have ways of making you talk,” said Lapis, tossing Peridot onto the couch and pinning her arms above her head. “I just hope you’re not _too_ easy to break.”

Peridot’s face was shining with anticipation as she gazed up at Lapis, and --

\-- the security system buzzed.

“Ugh, seriously?” said Lapis, dropping her playful facade.

“Shhh,” whispered Peridot. “Maybe they’ll think we’re not here and go away.”

The security light was flashing green, indicating that the visitor was both recognized and trusted. It was unusual for one of their friends to drop by without texting first, though. Peridot’s phone had been silent for the past few hours.

“Who do you think it is?” Peridot asked Lapis quietly.

“Aunt Peri! Aunt Lapis! Are you there?” called a child’s voice through the door.

“Oh, no,” said Peridot, realizing.

“We don’t have a choice, do we?”

“...no, we really don’t.”

Lapis let Peridot up off the couch, and they both re-sheveled their disheveled outfits before Peridot opened the door.

A short kid with an enormous mound of black hair bounced into the lair. They were wearing pink overalls with stars all over them and a fluffy cat ear headband. “Hi, Aunt Peri!” They rushed at Peridot for a hug.

“Hi, Nora!” Peridot scooped up the kid, trying to swallow her disappointment. She loved Nora, of course, and just about any other time she would have been happy to see them. They did have an uncanny knack for spectacularly bad timing, though.

“Do your parents know you’re here?” asked Lapis, as Nora let Peridot go and latched onto her instead.

“Yes!” said Nora, very seriously. “Well. Kinda.”

“What does _kinda_ mean?”

“Well…” Nora fidgeted. “Daddy and Mommy both had work today, so I was staying with Grandma Pearl and Grandma Garnet. But they had an emergency, so she got Aunt Ames to pick me up. And then we went to get ice cream!” They jumped from foot to foot. “I got chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and whipped cream and fudge sauce and cookies and coconut…”

Well, that certainly explained their level of energy. “And then what happened?” 

“Aunt Ames had to teach a class, so she said I could go visit Aunt Bis and play with swords!”

“You didn’t actually play with swords, right?” said Lapis, alarmed.

“No, Aunt Bis told me not to touch,” said Nora, clearly saddened by this development. “She said she was really busy and I should go someplace safe instead.”

Peridot was surprised. “So she sent you here?” 

“No, she sent me to Aunt Zircs. And Aunt Zircs gave me paper and pens and I drew this!” Nora pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper from their little shoulder bag, several more papers spilling out onto the floor as they did so. 

They pushed the paper into Peridot’s hands. It was a crude drawing of Nora with a pink heart on their stomach. “It’s me if I were a Gem! See, I’m a Diamond like Daddy, but my gem is heart-shaped like Spinel! My special power is I can make any other gem appear on my body, too. And I live in a castle in outer space, and I fight with a sword like Mommy and Grandma Pearl!”

“That’s really cool, Nora!” said Lapis, encouraging. “And it’s such a good drawing!”

Nora beamed, a huge smile on their face. “Aunt Zircs said it was a really good story! She said you’d want to hear it, Aunt Peri!”

“Of course she said that,” said Peridot, screaming internally. She was going to kill Zircon. “Listen, Nora, we’re kind of busy. Don’t you think we should go find your grandmas? They’re probably wondering where you are.”

Nora’s smile turned to sadness in an instant. “Ohhhh, you’re busy too?” They stared at the ground, looking as though they were about to cry. “I wanted to play Pizza Kart…”

Peridot, conflicted, looked at Lapis helplessly. Lapis shrugged and mouthed, “we have to.”

Peridot patted Nora’s head. “We can play Pizza Kart for a little while, then we gotta make sure your grandmas and parents know where you are, okay?”

“Yes!” Nora snapped back to vibrating with ice-cream-fueled excitement, skipping over to the couch and picking up a controller.

“You go set it up, I’ll be there in a second,” said Peridot, pulling out her phone.

 **PERI5XG:** ZIRCS, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME????

 **PERI5XG:** I WAS ABOUT TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH LAPIS 

**CourtLawyerZircon:** Oh dear.

 **CourtLawyerZircon:** I’m genuinely sorry, but I have an important trial in less than two hours!

 **CourtLawyerZircon:** Do you realize how difficult it is to prepare a defense and pay attention to a human child’s rich imaginary world at the same time?

 **PERI5XG:** YOU COULD JUST IGNORE THEM

 **CourtLawyerZircon:** And hurt their feelings? How dare you even suggest such a thing.

 **PERI5XG:** YEAH, I KNOW

 **PERI5XG:** YOU OWE ME THOUGH

 **CourtLawyerZircon:** Indeed, I do.

 **PERI5XG:** NEXT TIME I HAVE BABYSITTING DUTY I’M SENDING THEM TO YOU

 **CourtLawyerZircon:** I’ll make sure I have art supplies, board games, and age-appropriate books for the occasion.

“C’mon, Aunt Peri!” Nora called from the couch where they were sitting next to Lapis, the Pizza Kart menu music blaring from the TV. “You gotta come pick a guy!”

“Okay, okay.” Peridot sat on the other side of the couch, Nora sandwiched in between her and Lapis. They giggled and snuggled up to Peridot. They were always so thrilled to spend any time with their Gem aunts. How could Peridot possibly deny them?

It wasn’t _exactly_ how Peridot had been hoping to spend her afternoon, but if that were the worst of her problems, then she really had it pretty good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last prompt turned out spicier than the T rating would allow, so it's posted in a separate fic here: [Safety in Vulnerability](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23973694/chapters/57663445)
> 
> Thanks for reading my hastily churned out Lapidot Week stories!


	7. Bent Out of Shape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to update this story with the October Lapidot prompts. Day one is Crossover, and there's one I had been wanting to write...

“I am _never_ going to metalbend.” Peridot looked forlornly at her bowl of five-flavor soup, as though it were going to offer some answers.

Zircon was carefully catching a mouthful of seaweed noodles in her chopsticks. “You don’t know that. It’s only been a few weeks. It’ll probably just take time.”

“Half of the class has already managed to metalbend, and you know they say that not all earthbenders have the aptitude for it.” Peridot slumped backwards in her chair. “That’s me. No aptitude. They probably would’ve kicked me out of the class by now if I didn’t know the Avatar.”

“I doubt that’s true. And is it really the end of the world if you can’t metalbend? Bismuth can’t metalbend, and she does quite well for herself.”

“Bismuth can move buildings by looking at them funny,” Peridot grumbled. “I can barely float pebbles compared to her. She can lavabend, too. And _don’t_ suggest I try lavabending. The last time I tried, I nearly burned my workspace to the ground.”

“I definitely wasn’t going to suggest that, no. Say, are you going to eat the rest of the sea prunes?”

“All yours.” Peridot didn’t really care for most Water Tribe food. She had only agreed to come here because it was Zircon’s favorite, and her lawyer friend so rarely had time for a leisurely meal.

Zircon eagerly scooped the remaining sea prunes into her bowl of noodles. “My point was that you don’t _need_ to metalbend. Some of us can’t even bend at all, you know.”

“That’s different!”

“How is it different?”

“At least if you’re a non-bender, no one ever expects you to be able to do these things. It’s _so much worse_ to be a bender who can barely bend.”

Zircon raised an eyebrow. “So low expectations are working in my favor, then?”

“No, that’s not what I -- never mind.” Peridot was finding it far too difficult to put her swirling, contradictory emotions into words. “Hey, Zircs?”

“Hm?”

“Do you ever get jealous of benders?”

“Well.” The way Zircon paused to thoughtfully chew her sea prune indicated that it was a complicated question for her. “To be honest, at times, yes. I was quite disappointed when I reached adolescence without being able to bend the smallest drop. I suspect my mother was disappointed, as well -- she always talked about me becoming a healer, following in her footsteps, you know.”

“Why would she be disappointed? You’re doing great for yourself! How’s the world of politics been treating you, anyway?”

Zircon’s eyes went wide. “Abjectly terrifying.”

“That’s what I’d expect.” Peridot nodded. “Anyway, imagine all the great stuff I could do if I could metalbend. It’d be so easy for me to make prototypes for my robots. I could make cool metal exo-skeletons to help me build things. I could… you know…”

“Could what?”

“...protect Lapis,”said Peridot, quietly.

The look on Zircon’s face indicated she knew exactly what Peridot was talking about. “Peri, that wasn’t your fault. Even the Avatar couldn’t do much about Aquamarine.”

“I know, but -- I was so useless! All I could do was chuck a few bricks at her. I was so not a threat that she didn’t even bother to bloodbend me.”

“You’re lucky she didn’t,” said Zircon, shuddering. She had been part of Aquamarine’s trial and had experienced it firsthand.

“And now she’s off at the Western Air Temple training with Steven, and I wish… I know it’s ridiculous, but I wish I were an expert bender like her. I wish I could help train the Avatar, and protect them both, and _ugh,_ I’m such a _clod.”_ Peridot banged her forehead against the table, causing the remnants of her five-flavor soup to splash out of the bowl.

“You’re not a clod,” said Zircon, using her napkin to mop up the broth. “Haven’t we been over this? Lapis and Steven don’t need for you to be some hotshot metalbender. Steven’s the Avatar -- he could have practically any friends he wants, and he still chooses to be friends with you. I doubt that’s because of your bending skills. How many Lower Ring people have gotten to ride a sky bison?”

“That _is_ really great,” Peridot admitted.

“Personally, I could do without,” said Zircon. The last time she had been taken on a flight, she had spent the entire time desperately clutching the side of the saddle, and had promptly been sick upon landing.

“What about Lapis, though?”

“You weren’t a metalbender when you started dating Lapis. I’m not sure why you think that’d be an issue for her now.”

“...I guess not.”

“You should really just talk to her, you know,” said Zircon, finishing off the last sea prune.

Peridot rolled her eyes. “That’s your solution to _everything.”_

“Indeed, you caught me advocating for the radical, revolutionary tactic of _talking to your girlfriend.”_

“Exactly! It’s crazy!” 

Their waiter approached their table. “Would our guests be interested in some dessert? Our special today is kale cookies with the chef’s special sweet squid sauce.”

“Oh, that sounds _delicious._ I’ll have that, please. Peri?”

Peridot was trying not to turn as green as her shirt. “No thanks, I’ll pass on the sweet squid sauce.”

* * *

She could _feel_ the imperfections in the metal. She’d tried so much, and so hard, that it was starting to come easily to her now -- but no matter how hard she tried, she could not make it _move._

Which was a real shame, because she wanted nothing more than to fling the metal bar across the room right now.

“Ugh, why won’t it just _work?”_ she said to herself, leaning back on the couch and rubbing at her temples, trying to stave off the significant headache that had been building from too much effort.

She didn’t really think that her friends would give up on her if she never learned how to metalbend. Not really. At least, she only thought that when she was in a particularly bad mood, like right now. But even if that wasn’t a possibility, she couldn’t bear the thought of giving up. Her friends never gave up. Steven never gave up on learning firebending even when Ruby accidentally burned him during a lesson. What would he think of her if she gave up because of a few headaches? What would Lapis think?

“Hey.”

“Lapis!” Peridot nearly jumped a mile. She had been so deep in concentration that she hadn’t even heard her girlfriend enter the room. She lept to her feet and crushed Lapis in a hug. “Lapis! I missed you!”

“I missed you too! Was I interrupting something?” she said, bemused.

“No! I’m just surprised to see you back. I thought you’d be at the Western Air Temple another couple of weeks.”

“Eh, I cut it short. Steven’s got waterbending down pretty good and I had something I wanted to do.” She spotted the frustratingly unbent metal bar sitting on the table. “Oh, were you practicing your metalbending?”

“Ugggggh,” Peridot groaned.

“It’s not going well, is it?”

“It’s fine! I just need more practice.” Peridot couldn’t keep the scowl from her face or the irritation from her voice.

Lapis gently pulled Peridot’s face closer, preventing her from looking away. “This is really bothering you, isn’t it?”

“No --” she started, before remembering that she had promised her friend that she would at least _attempt_ to talk about her problems. “Well. A little. Lapis?”

“What?”

“DoyouthinkI’mafailure?” she said all at once.

“Huh?”

“Do you think I’m a failure?” said Peridot, immediately hating how pathetic it sounded.

“What? No, of course not.”

“Of course you _say_ that. I mean _really.”_

“I mean _really_ too. No one thinks you’re a failure because you’re having trouble metalbending.”

“Well, I feel like a failure!” said Peridot, flopping back down onto the couch. “I understand the theories. I’ve been practicing every day! I’ve been doing everything the instructor says to do, and I just can’t get it. What is _wrong_ with me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you, Peri. Most earthbenders have a really hard time metalbending. A lot of them can’t even do it at all. Even if you never metalbend, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re one of the best waterbenders ever. You even get to train the Avatar!”

Lapis didn’t look happy. “I guess.”

“You _are_ ,” Peridot insisted. “I can only wish I could bend like you.”

“Sometimes…” Lapis looked down on the ground. “Sometimes I wish I were more like you.”

“What?” said Peridot, intensely confused. “You want to be a _worse_ bender?”

“That’s not what I mean! I mean… yeah, I’m a great bender, but that’s all I ever am. You have so many things going on with your robots and your experiments and your garden and everything, and all I can do is waterbend. I was born with it, and I never really had to try all that hard. You work hard every day on all kinds of things. I think… if I weren’t born a waterbender, I’d have nothing. No one would even want to talk to me.”

“That’s not true at all!” Peridot protested. “You’re more than just a great waterbender. A lot more. I mean, Steven had his choice of the best waterbenders in the world to train with, and he chose you specifically, and it’s not just because of your bending skills.”

“No, it’s because he tripped over me at the beach and decided we that meant we were Beach Summer Fun Buddies.”

“That’s my point, Lapis! You’re not just a great waterbender, you’re a great _friend._ And you’re a great girlfriend, too. And that’s why… why…” Tears welled up in Peridot’s eyes.

“Peri? Why are you crying?”

“I couldn’t protect you!” It came spilling out of her. “I think about it all the time. You were being bloodbent, and it was horrible, and I could tell you were in so much pain, and I couldn’t do anything for you! That’s why I need to learn to be a better bender. So I can protect you.”

“Oh, Peri,” said Lapis, tears filling her eyes as well. “I’m the one who couldn’t protect you. I was stuck there and I couldn’t do anything about it while she bloodbent us all. At least you _tried.”_

“I was the only one who _could_ try, because she forgot to bloodbend me, because I wasn’t any kind of a threat. And I still couldn’t do anything about it. I had to watch… all of you…”

“It’s not your fault.” Lapis held Peridot close. “It’s not your fault. Not even Steven could fight her.”

“But he was the one who saved us.”

“Yeah, barely, and only because he went into Avatar State. I don’t think either of us have Avatar State.”

“No, I don’t.” Peridot looked up at Lapis. “That’d be pretty cool, though, wouldn’t it?”

“You with Avatar State? You’d _so_ destroy your lab.”

“It’d be worth it!” She managed a weak grin. “It’s not your fault, either, Lapis.”

“I know. I just… I can’t help replay that day over and over, thinking about what I could have done differently. Or thinking about how it could’ve all gone wrong if Steven didn’t save us. I just don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either,” said Peridot.

Lapis was leaning in close, and she could feel breath on her cheek. She turned her face and pulled her girlfriend into a kiss.

“Mmm,” said Lapis, smiling as they broke apart. “Wait. You smell nice.”

“Don’t I always smell nice?”

“You smell like five-flavor soup.”

“Oh, yeah, Zircs wanted to get Water Tribe food.”

“You went to get Water Tribe food? Without me? How could you?”

“If it helps, I didn’t appreciate it at all.”

“You’re _terrible.”_ Lapis laughed. “I almost don’t want to give you your present.”

Peridot perked up like a fire ferret that had been promised a treat. “Present? You got me a present?”

“Yeah, I told you there was something I wanted to do.” Lapis jumped up to get the bag she had deposited by the door, pulling out a round bottle of swirling silver fluid. 

“Is that mercury?”

“I got it in Zaofu,” Lapis explained as Peridot examined her present. “I know you’ve been having a hard time metalbending. I thought maybe if I got you a metal that was also a liquid, I could help you learn how to bend it with waterbending techniques!”

“Isn’t this expensive?”

“I had some help.”

“Isn’t this poisonous?”

“Well, we’re not going to touch it, we’re going to bend it.” Lapis was carefully watching Peridot’s reaction to her present. “Sorry. When I got it for you, I didn’t realize how upset you were about metalbending. If you don’t want it --”

“Of course I want it!” Peridot’s usual enthusiasm had returned full force. “It’s a great idea! Can we try right now?”

“Sure,” said Lapis. “Here, let me get some water, and I can show you the motions I make, and you can try them on the mercury.”

“Great!” said Peridot, snuggling up next to Lapis when she sat back down with a bowl of water. 

She reached out with her perception. She could feel the tiny imperfections in the mercury in front of her, but she could also feel other things: the soft leather of the couch, the cool night air coming in through the open window, and the warmth of her love sitting by her side.

“Okay, so the most basic waterbending move is to push and pull the water, like this,” said Lapis, gently waving her arms in front of her.

“Right,” said Peridot. She mustered up her focus, grabbed on to the earth in the metal as best as she could, and mimicked Lapis’ movements.

She was so startled when it actually moved that she nearly flipped over the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been around much! I'm trying to write some shorts to get back into the habit of writing, and will hopefully have a new story and a Professionals update in the near future. Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
